Little Monster
by Toby Danger
Summary: It takes a lot of monsters to raise a child. A look at the future lives of the students of Monster High, as seen through the eyes of Frankie's newly built daughter as she spends time with and learns from her mother's friends.


Monster High, and it's impressively deep storyline and characters have fascinated for some time, and I felt compelled to try and write a story about it. One question I've always pondered is, 'what would the characters do once they grow up and left school? And would they start families?

It got me creating my own personal headcanon about the character's future, and this story is one attempt to put it to words. I'd love to expand on this in the future, so if you want more of this, or feel there could be improvements in areas, let me know, I love any constructive criticism you can give.

* * *

Little Monster

1:Tesla's First Report.

Frankie let out a long sigh of relief as she signed her signaure on the final sheet of paper. Putting her pen down, she stretched her arms upwards, delighted to finally be finished for the day. While she loved working in the medical profession, she could live without the masses of paperwork involved in it. Surgical reports, permission and insurance slips... it never seemed to end. Thankfully, it was all done now, and she could finally spend some family time and start making dinner.  
She stepped out of her office and into the living room, where she heard a low groan of frustration. Looking over at the couch, she spotted a pair of small mint green legs kicking up and down, their owner obscured by the couch's headrest.

"_Looks like someone else is having trouble with paperwork._" She thought.

She moved over to the couch to look at it's occupant, a little girl with green skin dressed in a simple blue dress, a white hoodie and dark leggings. Her hair was stark white, save for a jagged stripe of black which ran down the center of her head. It was pulled into two long ponytails, smooth save for the ends which were bent into an odd wavy shape, almost like a lightning bolt.  
Her blue eyes were focused on the blank page of a school notebook, her brows furrowed in concentration as she chewed on a pencil, still unaware of Frankie's presence.  
Frankie smiled, both touched by the adorable look on her daughter's face, and pleased that she was working on her homework. She obviously needed some help though...

"Are you okay sweetie?" She asked.

Tesla blinked and looked at her. "Oh, hi Mama. Did you finish your work?"

Frankie nodded and sat at the end of the couch. "You seem busy."

Tesla straightened up and sat back down, putting her book in her lap. "Not really. I just can't seem to get started."

She sighed. "I still don't get homework. What's the point when we spend most of the day learning this stuff anyway?"

Frankie smiled in sympathy. "I know, but it's to help you to remember everything you learn in the day."

"I guess..." Tesla shrugged. "But I don't know how I can get this assignment done. Miss Gloom's gonna flunk me for sure."

"Now now, it can't be that bad. What's the assignment?"

Tesla scooted over closer to her mother. "It's for Writing class. I have to write a report about myself."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, Miss Gloom says we have to write about our families, what our lives are like, stuff that's happened to us, things like that. She says that she's gonna put all the reports in a special presentation at the end of the year for all the students and parents to see."

"Really? That sounds interesting." Frankie replied, noting the lack of enthusiasm in her daughter's voice. "So what's the problem?"

"Well, what can I write about? I've barely had a life." Tesla scowled, throwing her arms up. "Everyone else in my class has been around for years and had all sorts of stuff happen to them. I've only been alive for like, a month."

"A month and a half, to be exact."

"Exactly. What have I experienced?"

She hung her head. "I'll have the lamest report in the whole class. If I ever finish it at all."

Frankie wrapped a comforting arm around Tesla's shoulders. "Oh sweetheart.. I felt the same way when I first started school. I was afraid people wouldn't find me interesting because I hadn't been alive for long. But I was able to become friends with your Aunts anyway, because they really wanted to help me learn more and have the experiences they had once. I'm sure your friends are the same."

"I guess so.." Tesla said, rubbing the small stitch with ran across the bridge of her nose.

"And you know, your life hasn't been that boring. Lots of things have happened to you since your birth. You've had lots of experiences with your friends, and your Aunts, and with me, Grandpa and Grandma."

"Yeah, but that's just normal stuff I do with you guys anyway. That's not interesting."

"Sure it is!" Frankie leaned in, looking her daughter in the eyes. "Everyone's life is utterly unique. What's normal for you is likely to be really different and interesting for someone else. Remember how amazed you were when you first visited Aunt Cleo's house, or read about Aunt Lagoona's work?"

"Yeah.." Tesla's eyes lit up. "I get it. I'd never seen how they live so it was totally new to me, yet it was just everyday stuff for them."

"Exactly. I'm sure if you just think back, you'll remember that your life is far more interesting that you think. And then you'll have plenty to write about."

Frankie kissed Tesla's forehead and ruffled her hair. "I'm going to start making dinner. If you still need some help, let me know."

She walked off, leaving Tesla to look at her notebook.  
Tesla was silent for a few moments, closing her eyes as she thought back on her life. Mama was right. Her life was short, but when she thought about it, a lot had happened to her, and she had met so many people she cared about in just over a month. How many monsters could say that?  
Maybe she could write something interesting. Laying back on the couch, she picked up her pencil and began to write.

* * *

My name is Tesla Stein, though lots of people just call me Tess. I am... well, my age is kinda complicated. Mama says that mentally and physically I'm seven years old, but I've really only been alive for like a month and a week. That isn't really a long time, but I've been so busy learning and discovering new things, it feels like forever!

I'm different from other monsters because I wasn't born like normal girls. My Mama made me from spare body parts and brought me to life with electricity. That means I don't have to eat food to stay alive, though I still like to eat stuff, especially Mama's cooking and Grandma's cakes. I just need to connect the bolts in my neck to an electrical socket to power myself up. I have to carry an electric cable and plug around whenever I visit somewhere, which is kinda annoying, but I can also shoot lightning from my bolts if I concentrate really hard. Mama says I shouldn't though, in case I hurt someone. I can also undo some of the thread holding me together and make my hands and feet move about on their own. Mama taught me how to stitch my limbs back on, and I like to mix and match different coloured thread for all my seams.

Other than the whole undead thing, I'm pretty much a normal girl . When I'm not studying with Mama or doing homework, I like to ride my bicycle, read story books or watch cartoons. I love Scary Cure and Screech Valley High, I never miss an episode. I also like playing with my dolls, I have a big collection of Screech Valley High dolls and I love coming up with fun adventures for them with my friends. Mama also got me some building blocks, and I really like making things like animals and houses out of them. It's really fun to put stuff together. My Grandpa say he'll get me some metal building kits for my birthday so I can make some even bigger stuff. I kinda like the idea of becoming an inventor

I live with my Mama in a small house in Salem, where lots of other monster families live. My Mama is really kind and beautiful and totally smart. Everytime I have a question or I'm stuck on my homework, she's always got an answer. I swear she knows everything! She used to teach me school stuff before I started going to school, but she still takes time to read books with me. Reading books is something I really enjoy, and it's even more fun when Mama or my Aunts read with me.. Mama works as a doctor at the local hospital, and she's really good at making people feel better. My Aunts always say they wouldn't trust anyone else to look after them, that's how awesome my Mama is!

I also live with Mama's pet, his name's Watzit and he's a really sweet dog.. cat.. dragon... thingy. Mama and I love to take him to the park for walks. I also have a pet rat named Sparky, Mama rescued him from a laboratory at her work. He's really cute, but he has a hard time staying still whan I want him too, I think he ate something weird in that lab.

Sometimes I stay with my Grandpa and Grandma's place when Mama has to stay late at work. Grandpa's a doctor and a scientist, and Grandma's a college professor, they're both even smarter than Mama, probably because they made her like Mama made me. Grandpa loves to play games with me and lets me help him with his experiments, and Grandma always lets me help her when she's baking yummy food like cakes from Germany. I really love visiting them.

I don't really have a Daddy like most other girls have, Mama made me all on her own. The closest person I have is Mr Andy, he's a close friend of Mama's. He's a really tall, purple guy with horns on his head, but though he looks kinda scary he's a really nice guy who helps me and Mama out around the house when he comes over. He lived on a jungle island for years, then he went to school with Mama for a while, but then decided to travel around the world looking for his parents. I don't know if he found them, but he has loads of cool stories about all the adventures he's had, and I love hearing all about them. He loves to come by and spend time with Mama, sometimes he even stays over for the night, though I don't know what he and Mama talk about all night. Grown up stuff, I guess.

But I don't just have my Mama, I also have all my Aunts. They're not really related to my family, they're not even the same species, but they're all really close friends with Mama, and they were all around when I was born, so they're kinda like relatives. They're all really awesome, so I like to visit them as much as possible.  
There's my Aunt Lala, she's a vampire with pink stripes in her hair. Even though she's like a thousand years old, she's really cute and pretty, and almost as short as I am. Unlike other vampires she doesn't drink blood or even eat meat, and she's always offering me meals made out of tofu when I visit. She actually makes it taste really nice. She writes story books, she has a load of stories for kids and grown ups, some of them are about her days as a student at school with Mama and my other aunts. They went on loads of crazy adventures together, like saving their school from an army of normies on Halloween and getting shrunk by the science teacher's experiment. I've read most of Aunt Lala's books, and I'm always eager to see what she's writing next. She lives with her husband Mr Wolf, he's a werewolf and works as a professional athlete. He's got loads of trophies on a shelf in his house. Even though they're a werewolf and a vampire, Aunt Lala and Mr Wolf love each other very much, they're always kissing and hugging whenever I visit. In fact, Aunt Lala is about to have a baby soon! She's been busy setting up a nursery ever since I met her. I've never spent time with a baby before, so I hope she lets me help her look after the baby when it's born.

There's also my Aunt Clawdeen, she's a werewolf and Mr Wolf's sister. She's a really smart and sassy lady, whos always got something funny or clever to say whenever she hangs out with Mama and Aunt Lala. She's also one of the prettiest women I've ever met, she looks like a fashion model from one of Mama's Ghoul Vogue magazines and always wears these amazing clothes. She runs a small boutique in town along with a couple of her friends, it's an amazing place with loads of incredible clothes. Aunt Clawdeen says that when I'm old enough, she'll give me a discount so I can buy my own outfit and she'll help me pick it out. If I could look half as fashionable as her, it would be so awesome. She's also studying law, and sometimes takes on 'legal cases' to help raise money towards the boutique. I don't know what those mean yet, but they sound really important. She's not married, but Mama says she spends time with someone special after work. Since she's so busy, I usually visit Aunt Clawdeen when she's visiting her parent's house, which is near mine. She has so many brothers and sisters and family members, the house is always full of people. Some of her nephews and nieces like to tease me, but almost everyone in her family is really nice and always welcomes me in.

There's Aunt Lagoona, but I don't see her as often as I like. She's a sea monster who works for a company who help clean up the beaches and look after the ocean so she travels a lot with her husband. Whenever she visits, she's always got a story about all the cool places and animals she's seen, and how she's helped look after them. I'd really love to be able to do something great to save the planet like she has. She's also a great surfer, and she always visits the beach whenever she comes home to see her parents, so Mama and I and my other Aunts make a day of it and go with her. She such an amazing surfer, I wish I could try it myself but Mama says I can't go into the water or I might electrocute anyone in there with me. Instead I just watch and hang out with Mr Gil, Aunt Lagoona's husband. He looks really silly with that fishbowl on his head, but he's a really nice guy.

And there's Aunt Ghoulia. She's a zombie, so she talks in moans and moves about really slowly. I'm still learning how to speak Zombie in school, so I don't quite get everything she says, but she's really good at making movements with her hands and writing things down so I can follow along with her. She's a scientist at some big research facility called a 'Think Tank' outside of town, but she also comes to my school sometimes to teach Mad Science class. She always sets up these cool experiments like making ice cream with something called liquid nitrogen and shooting lightning from metal coils that are named after me! How cool is that?  
She come by to visit Mama sometimes and talk about science stuff, and her husband Mr Moe comes by as well. He doesn't talk much, but he's always really friendly, and he's a wiz at fixing things, since he works as a builder and handyman. One time I broke the wheels on my bike, but Mama gave it to Mr Moe and he fixed it good as new! It took two days, but still..

And then there's Aunt Cleo, who's a total celebrity and superultramegabucks rich! She lives in a massive apartment which is even bigger than my house, she has loads of fancy clothes and jewelery and she drives around in a huge car everywhere. She's even given me a ride in it! She makes one of the fashion magazines Mama likes to read, and even has her own website which is all about clothes, celebrity gossip and interesting stuff about the Monster World. A lot of people say she's really mean and scary to people who work for her, but I've spent time with her and while she's bossy and snobby sometimes, she's actually totally sweet and nice most of the time. She always treats me whenever I visit, and she's donated lots of money toward charity and the local schools. And don't tell anyone, but she has a collection of dolls which is even bigger than mine! I get the feeling she gets lonely sometimes, as she's always inviting me, Mama and my other Aunts out for lunch or something. She has a sister who I see sometimes, though half the time they're fighting and the other half they're close friends. And she tells me a lot this guy named Mr Gorgon, he's a famous chef I've seen on TV who turns his servers into stone when they mess up. Though sometimes they're dating and sometimes they're not... I don't really get adult relationships. But as long as Aunt Cleo needs a friend, I'll always be there for her.

Those are my Aunts, but I have other friends my age as well. We all go to Monster Elementary, and some of us are in the same class with my teacher Mrs Gloom, which is great. One of my bestest friends is Nekora Stripe, she's a werecat and one of the first friends I ever made. She's really cool and utterly fearless, she's always taking part in sports and is part of gymnastics class after school. She can climb up walls and trees so easily, it really annoys me that I can't do it as well as her. Plus, she can make fire appear on her hands and tail if she concentrates, it's so cool, though she's not allowed to do that in school in case she hurts someone. She never sits still and is always running or dancing or getting into some kind of mischief . Most of the time we hang out together, she's always trying to get me to join her in going somewhere we shouldn't be, or doing something dangerous. She can be a real pain in the butt sometimes, but she's never really mean to people, unless they deserve it. We often go to her place to play with our dolls. Her mom is really nice, though she can be really stern and shouts a lot if Nekora and I do something we shouldn't. I don't see her Dad often, he's usually busy at work...

My other bestest friend is Octavia Abiss, she's a sea monster, though she's more like a half octopus, half human person. She has a body like a normal girl, but her skin is blue with purple stripes and instead of hair she has tentacles which she can move all by herself. Octavia's really shy, the first time I met her she stood against the wall and changed her skin colour to blend in with the paint. She really has trouble speaking to people, but Nekora and I have helped her become a little braver. She still cries a bit whenever we try to get her to go on adventures with us. She's a really sweet and kind girl who's always trying to help us out, and usually watches out for us if Nekora's about to do something silly. She's also an amazing artist. She keeps pencils and paper on her at all times, and she can even spit out ink to use to paint with. It's kinda gross, but she paints such amazing pictures, I swear she could sell them and become a proper professional. I've never been to her place, since she's really shy about letting us meet her parents for some reason. I think they're scientists or something. She comes by my place and we play with our dolls, she's a big a collector as I am.

But if you think Octavia's quiet, you should meet Tomoko Kurokaze. She's a Japanese ghost, so she talks in whispers all the time. She can be really hard to hear sometimes. She's really beautiful, with long dark hair which almost reaches her feet and really pale skin. She's really nice, but she has a really bad temper when things don't go her way. She scowls, her hair goes all wavy and she can be really scary. But she calms down after a while before she freaks the whole school out. She has a special trick where she can jump into a TV screen or computer monitor or diePad, and crawl out of another one in a completely different place. She uses it to travel around town and she can jump to school in seconds. I wish she could bring us with her, so we could travel to places together.

I'm friends with a few of the boys in my class as well, though not as close as the girls. Boys can be really annoying most of the time. There's Toby Wolf, he's one of Aunt Clawdeen's nephews. He's a real loudmouth who never sits still, and is always causing some kind of mischief in class. He's a really fast runner, one of the best in school, though he can never quite outrun the teachers. There's Griff Talon, he's a harpy, and one of the coolest boys in school. He can fly, and he's usually up in the air doing tricks and loops. He's a great casketball player as well. He can be a bit of a show off, but he's a pretty cool guy to hang out with. He and Nekora don't get along though, they compete against each other in pretty much everything. And there's Flint Ironstag, he's an Earth Elemental with stone like skin. He's really quiet and grumpy most of the time, and usually gets in trouble with the teachers, but whenever someone needs helps, he's always ready to lend a hand. Like one time Mallory was picking on me, and Flint showed and glared at her and she ran away like a chicken. He's pretty nice like that.

Oh, I suppose I should mention Mallory Lovegood, she's the one person in my class I hate. She's this really pretty vampire who's always really nice to everyone and works hard... at least in front of Miss Gloom. When no one's looking, she's totally mean to the other girls, always teasing and making fun of them and pushing people around. And she always sweet talks the boys into doing all her work for her. She's a total jerk, I wish I could just zap her with my electricity. But Mama says I shouldn't hurt people, and I should try to talk to people about their problems instead. But I really don't think anything I say could get into Mallory's thick head.

But apart from putting up with Mallory, I really like going to school. There's so much stuff to learn, even if some of it is a bit boring.

I have some other friends, but they don't go to my school since they're younger than me. There's Ivan Bigfute, he's a Yeti who's the son of a friend of Mama's, Mrs Abbey. He lives way up in the mountains with his parents, though he and his mother come by to visit sometimes. He's a really cute kid, though he's a little noisy. He can shoot ice rays from his hands, one time he froze all the water in the hydroelectric generator in our backyard, it was so cool. Heh, get it? Cool.  
There's also the Imp Sisters, Devi and Levi. They're twins who live with Mr Hoodude and Mrs Steam, they run a house which looks after kids with no parents. They're total pranksters, and are always running around playing tricks on people and using their magic powers to appear out of nowhere and surprise people. Mama says Mr Hoodude's becoming frayed around the edges and Mrs Steam's gears are grinding from trying to keep up with them. They're annoying, but their tricks are pretty funny sometimes

I love being friends with so many different monsters. Until I went to school, I had no idea just how many kinds of monsters were out there. I felt a little weird, since there are hardly any people like me or my family, but I've learned that the kind of monster you are shouldn't really matter. No matter what you look like, it's the person you are inside that matters, and you shouldn't let your looks or your strange powers stop you from being friends with everyone. When I get older, no matter what, I'm gonna try to be the best friend I can be.  
Well.. I guess that's it for now. I'm still too young to have had anything really exciting happen to me, but I'm sure I'll end up having some awesome adventures like Mama did when I get older. Besides, with Mama, my family, my Aunts and my friends around, I guess my life is pretty interesting already.

* * *

Tesla stared anxiously at Miss Gloom as she read through several notebooks handed in by the class. Maybe, right now, she was reading HER report. Would she like it? Was it worth putting up on display with everyone elses?

"What are you staring at, Stein? Your brain finally short out?" The mocking comment was uttered by Mallory, who sat close behind her.

Tesla glared at the vampire. "Shaddup.." She growled, turning away from her.

Finally, Miss Gloom seemed to be finished. She collected the notebooks and walked among the desks, handing books back to students. The moment Tesla got hers, she flung it open to the page where her report had been written. Her eyes widened in shock.

"No way!"

* * *

"We're home!"

Frankie looked up from her seat on the couch to see Tesla enter, followed by Octavia and Nekora.

"Hi Miss Stein." The two friends waved.

"Hi ghouls." Frankie got up to greet them. "Have a good day at school?"

"Meh. It was alright." Nekora shrugged. "Nothing much happened."

"Nothing much?" Octavia frowned, her hair tentacles curling. "What do you mean? I got every question right in Mrs Yelps' science quiz, you beat your record on the balance bars, and guess what happened to Tess."

"Oh? Frankie turned to her daughter, noticing the very pleased smirk on her face. "What happened, sweetie?"

"I got an 'A' for my report, that's what!" Tesla exclaimed.

Frankie gasped. "Wow, really?"

"Uh-Huh!" Tesla nodded, holding up her notebook as proof. "I can't believe it, I thought Miss Gloom would hate it for sure. But she said it was one of the best in the class."

"See, I told you you could do it." Frankie knelt down and hugged her daughter. "Oh, I'm so proud of you!"

"Congratulations Tess." Octavia spoke. "That's the first 'A' you've ever gotten in Writing class, isn't it?"

"Yeah, I finally did it." Tesla smiled proudly over her mother's shoulder. "Maybe if I keep this up, I'll be a famous author like Aunt Lala."

"I still can't believe your mom actually knows her." Nekora frowned. "Not to mention Cleo de Nile of all monsters... How come my mom doesn't know any famous monsters?"

"She knows my dad. And my dad works with Mrs Yelps at the science place, does that count?" Octavia asked.

"I meant celebrities, not science dorks." Nekora retorted.

"My dad's not a dork!"

Nekora and Octavia glared at each other, spoiling for a fight. Frankie separated the two.

"Now now, you two, lets not ruin the mood." She spoke. "And trust me, my friends are just ordinary ghouls at heart, just like you."

"Yeah, once you get to know them, they're not that much different from us really." Tesla spoke.

Octavia sighed. "You're so lucky to know such cool people Tess.."

"Well, you could meet them if you like." Tesla replied. "It's Saturday tomorrow, I could take you to visit Aunt Cleo at her office."

"Whoa, really?" Nekora exclaimed.

"Sure, she won't mind. She loves it when I come over."

"Tess.." Frankie spoke firmly. "If you want to visit Aunt Cleo at work, make sure you call her first, okay? You know she hates unexpected visitors."

Tesla giggled. "Oh yeah, like that one time I came over, and she was sitting on her desk hugging that Gorgon guy and moaning a lot. She was really mad at me that day."

"Um... yes.." Frankie blushed. Behind her Nekora sniggered, and Octavia looked confused.

"Anyway.. how about we get a pizza, to celebrate your report?"

Tesla's eyes lit up. "Really? With all the toppings?"

Frankie nodded, and Tesla hugged her tightly. "You're the best, Mama. Can Nekora and Octavia stay over too?"

"If they check with their parents first, then sure."

"Alright!" The two girls cheered. "Thanks Miss Stein!"

As Octavia and Nekora moved aside to grab their iCoffins and call their parents, Tesla looked up at her mother. "Hey Mama.."

"Yes, sweetie?"

"Thanks for helping me with my report. I was so worried about my life looking good compared to everyone else, I forgot about all the good stuff that's happened in my life so far. Thanks for reminding me."

"You're welcome." Frankie replied. "I know how easy it is to forget what's important sometimes."

"And it's made me think." Tesla grinned. "If I've met all my friends and Aunts and done so much when I'm just over a month old, imagine how much I'll have seen when I'm your age."

"I know." Frankie smiled proudly. "There's a whole world out there you've yet to discover."

"And I can't wait." Tesla declared. "But first, pizza!"

Frankie chuckled. "Of course. First things first."


End file.
